The Hindu : New Delhi News : “Urban elderly in Delhi more prone to illness”

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Tuesday, Jan 08, 2008
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“Urban elderly in Delhi more prone to illness”

Staff Reporter

Study conducted by Health Ministry, WHO

High incidence of tobacco abuse, hearing problems among the elderly
Delhi’s elderly also reported a large number of paralytic attack cases

NEW DELHI: If you are planning to stay and grow old here in the Capital, a new first-of-its-kind nation-wide study on health problems among the elderly carried out by the Union Health and Family Welfare Ministry and the World Health Organisation might make you re-consider your retirement plans.

Urban elderly in the Capital were found more prone to falls, fractures, weight loss, asthma, tuberculosis, diabetes and high blood pressure compared to their contemporaries in ten other surveyed states including Assam, Chandigarh, Chhattisgarh, Himachal Pradesh, Kerala, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu.

Research also revealed high incidence of tobacco abuse and hearing problems among the elderly in the city.

The study covered 10,035 individuals over 60 years of age from rural and urban areas in select centres of the country. Understanding that the process of ageing will be accompanied by increased vulnerability to illness and death, the study estimates that the individual health care expenditure for an elderly person is much higher than the expenditure for a person in the age group of 35 to 44 years.

A stock taking of the condition of the elderly in the Capital revealed that the older population recorded the highest number of chronic obstructive airway disease cases with the urban male recording 10.2 per cent and female recording 9 per cent cases. This was also found to be a major cause for late life mortality and morbidity.

Urban Delhi also reported a very high 6.5 per cent tuberculosis cases followed by Guwahati at 3 per cent.

The study revealed that 8.6 per cent elderly males in the Capital and 8.5 per cent females were living alone. “These individuals (those staying alone) may require help from others in their day-to-day problems related to health, nutrition, social needs, rehabilitation or referral to an old age home,” it added.

The city’s elderly also reported a large number of paralytic attack cases.

The study also notes that the older population faces a number of problems and adjust to them in varying degrees. These problems range from absence of ensured and sufficient income to support themselves and their dependents, ill-health, absence of social security, loss of social role, recognition and non-availability of opportunities for creative use of free time. Also, economic growth and rapid urbanisation will lead to migration of large numbers of the productive workforce, leaving the elderly to fend for themselves in rural areas.

The research was aimed at studying the nature and extent of health problems of the elderly population and ascertain their functional status with special reference to vision, hearing, physical disability and depression among other objectives.

“The ideal health system for older people should be affordable, accessible, comprehensive, maintaining continuity in content and time. They also require a holistic approach,” said Dr. R. K. Srivastava, Director-General of Health Services.

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